Time apparatus for car-despatchers.



1 PATENTBD TBB. 1o, 1903. s. A RIGGs A; T. J. 4ITA-WoRT'H.

TIME APPARATUS TOR GARDBsP-A'TGHBRS.

No. 720,484.y

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 1901.

No MbDEL.

.A A A :z

y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

STEPHEN A. RIGGS AND THOMAS J. HAWORTH, OF JONESBORO, INDIANA, ASSIGNORSOF ONE-THIRD `TO CHARLES F. HAWORTH, OF JONESBORO,

INDIANA.

TIME APPARATUS FOR CAR-DESPATCHERS.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 720,484, datedFebruary 10, 1903.

Application filed November-9, 19011*l Serial No. 81,742. (No model.) y

To 1r/ZZ whom, it Hefty concern:

Beit known that we, STEPHEN A. RrecsandV THOMAS J. HAwoRrH, citizens ofthe United- This invention relates to a time apparatus lo forcar-despatchers; and the objectthereof isV to provide a miniaturerepresentation of'aV given portion of track whereby the despatcher inhis office may determine at a glance the( relative positions of the carsunder his command. Y

Other objects, as well as 'the novel details of construction,will beclearly described hereinafter and defined in the appended claims; In thedrawings, Figure 1 represents atop zo plan View of a time indicatorboard constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on theline 3 3 of Fig. 2.

or board on which are two pulleys 2 and 3 at the respective endsthereof. The shaft 4 of the pulley 3 extends down through the board 1and is driven by a suitable motor within 3o the casing 5, so as to drivean endless belt or cable 6, passed around the pulleys 2 and 3. The beltor cable G is adapted to engage Va plurality of auxiliary pulleys 7,distanced apart to represent the length of road the device is designedto represent. In the drawings two lines are'represented, one on eitherside of the belt 6; but other lines might be represented by providingadditional pulleys 7 to contact with the belt 6.

One end of the journals of the pulleys 7 are supported by the board 1,while the remaining ends are secured in cross-bars 8,supported above thebase 1 by suitable standards 9. The pulleys to the right carry anendlessbelt 10, while those to the left carry a similar one,

(designated by the reference-numeral11,) and these belts 10 and 11 runparallel to the lines 12 and 13, representing the tracks to and from thedespatchers station.

Y minutes'.

`tion of the actual car upon the track will be ViiXed on the belt as thecars leave the station.

The reference-numeral 1 designates a baseA Each track-section is dividedinto a plurality of spaces 14 by lines 15, which are numbered from 5 to60 or more, according lto the time required for the car to make the runand return. Thus the time for a given point on one of the belts 10 and11 to travel from one line l5 to another will require tive A miniaturecar 16 or representa- The motor having been previously adjusted to drivethe belts at the'same rate of speed as the cars travel, the toy cars orrepresentations will indicate the relative position of the `cars at alltimes.

The reference-numeral 17 designates a plurality of removable pegsproperly numbered to indicate'the schedule time of any particular carupon the track-as, for instance, for special cars. However, these pegsmay be utilized forthe regular cars, if it is found desirable. Y

The pivoted barsg(designated by the refer- Vence-numerals 18 and 19) aredesigned to represent gates or switches and are adapted to be throwndown in a horizontal plane across the track to stop any one of the cars15 and retain it for Aa given time. These gates or switches are toprovide for turnouts or sidings upon the regular line and will bebrought into playin the event that one or more of the cars lie over atthe siding for any purpose. Of course it will be understood that thesegates or switches will have' the same relative Vposition upon thebase-board 1 as will the sidings on the regular line. In the event thatthe succeeding car reaches the gate before the preceding one hasdeparted the conductor or attendant will Vmerely remove the detainingcar, and by raising the gate the remaining cars may pass onuninterrupted. When the detained car on the road is again set inmotion,the removed car on the time apparatus may be again attached tothe belt.

Inasmuch as the belts must travel at all times, the cars will be securedto the belts by frictional contact, so as to normally travel with thesame. However, immediately the gate is thrown across the path of the carthe belt will be permitted to pass on, leaving the car against the gateuntil it is raised to permit the car to proceed.

While we have specifically described what to us appears to be the bestmethod of accomplishing the desired result,we would have it understoodthat we do not desire to be limited to the specific constructionhereinabove described, as we reserve the right to make such alterationsor changes as will fairly fall within the scope ot' the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a device of the character described, the combination with apower-driven belt, of a series of symbols arranged adjacent the belt anddesigned to indicate stations, cars propelled by the belt in the path ofthe stations and means designed to be thrown across the path of the carsfor stopping them on the belt and without effecting the movement of thebelt.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with apower-driven belt of a base on which the belt is arranged and graduatedto represent a miniature railwaytrack, said base being graduated to forma scale, cars carried by the belt and moving in the path of thegraduated scale and gates arranged at intervals along the base anddesigned to be thrown across the track to obstruct the cars.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a basespaced to indicate points on a road-bed, of a railway-track, ofminiature cars, means for propelling the same, and hinged gaies arrangedon said base adapted to be thrown across said bed to retard the movementof the cars.

4f. The combination with a base designed to represent a road-bed, a pairof pulleys thereon, an endless belt driven thereby, auxiliary belts andpulleys driven by the firstnamed belt, graduations on the base arrangedadjacent the auxiliary belts to represent roadbeds, cars carried therebyadapted to follow the path of the belts and hinged gates arranged onsaid base and adapted to be thrown across said belt toiretard themovement oi the cars. .i

In testimony whereof we afiix oursignatures in presence of twowitnesses.

STEPHEN A. RIGGS. `THOMAS J. IIAVORTII.

Witnesses:

A. E. BAXTER, JAMES II. DUNLAP.

